CT-AMC Spring Dinner 2014

Transcription

1 Volume 35, Number 1 Sprng 2014 A Vew From The Char At the tme of ths wrtng, I am preparng to attend the Appalachan Mountan Club s Annual Summt n Norwood, Massachusetts. By the way, f you have never gone, you should consder attendng. It offers a smorgasbord of nformaton about the AMC, the naton s oldest outdoor recreaton, conservaton and educaton organzaton, as well as a chance to meet new people and re-connect wth frends from other chapters. Another worthwhle event s our Sprng Dnner, whch wll be held at the Cheshre Grange on March 29th and wll feature Wllam Broussard of the Mt. Washngton Observatory, who wll dscuss the reasons that Mt. Washngton has the world s worst weather. Watch your e-mal for detals. We had a very well attended CT-AMC Annual Gatherng n November n Rocky Hll. Nancy Sporborg and Pat Pper gave a rvetng account of how hkng 4,000 footers n New England provded them wth a path to self-dscovery. A sold-out audence was rapt durng ths presentaton. We also honored two couples of super volunteers: Gerry and Sue Hardy receved the Lfetme Servce Award. Both are former chapter chars and have done much for ths organzaton n a varety of roles. Tom Carruthers and Fona Ncholson receved the Appe of the Year Award. They are pllars of the Farfeld County Group, whch offers socaleducatonal gatherngs n Westport and Bethel. Jonng our Executve Commttee Contnued on page 6... Insde ths Issue:... page Uncle AMC Wants YOU! Perseds Meteor Shower Weekend AMC Fall Hkng Week & August Camp AT Day All s Well That Ends Well Bulls Brdge Efforts Pay Off Are You Ready To Paddle? AG The Show Must Go On... 4 CT-AMC Famly Actvtes AMC Adventure Travel Trps Volunteer Awards & 7 CT-AMCer Publshes Book The Hke... 8 Thanks To Your Donaton Tulps Trees, Bonsa and a Memoral... 9 Farfeld County Group Events Clmbng Ice CT-AMC Sprng Dnner 2014 Saturday, March 29th Cheshre Grange Reservatons $17 Please RSVP by March 20th Dnner and Presentaton The Worst Weather n the World by Wllam Broussard, MWO Outreach Educator Mount Washngton s New England s hghest peak and home to some of the most unpredctable and dangerous weather n the Unted States. Our presenter s Wllam Broussard, Outreach Educator for the Mount Washngton Observatory where they study ths weather 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Jon us for a hands on sesson that explores the lfestyle and work of the dedcated observers mannng the Mount Washngton Observatory. We wll explore the queston: why, for a mountan ts sze, does Mount Washngton see the World s Worst Weather? When: Where: Observatory Tower & Summt by Robert Zakon courtesy of MWO photo: Saturday, March 29th Cheshre Grange, 44 Wallngford Road, Cheshre, CT Reservatons: Mal check payable to AMC CT Chapter to: Lor Stethers, 15 Banbury Road, West Smsbury, CT by Thursday, March 20th Program: Non-alcoholc socal hour, 5 to 6 pm Roast beef dnner, 6 pm Evenng presentaton, 7:30 pm Questons & Answers, 9 pm Cost: AMC Members: $17, Non-members: $20 Drectons: Cheshre Grange. To get there, turn east from Route 10 onto Wallngford Road (by Town Hall). It s one block south of Routes 10 & 68 ntersecton. Go one and a half blocks. The Grange s on the left wth parkng on both sdes of the buldng. Questons: Programs@ct-amc.org More nfo: and FOR THE LATEST CT-AMC CHAPTER NEWS & ACTIVITIES VISIT - 1

2 UNCLE AMC WANTS YOU! Fall Hkng Week - September 19th-26th, 2014 The 131st annual Fall Hkng Week, a CT-AMC sponsored clubwde event, wll be held ths year at Purty Sprng Resort n East Madson, New Hampshre September 19th-26th. Jon us for the weekend, a few days, or the full week. There are several guded hkes each day n the Whte Mountans from easy to challengng. Last year 29 hkes were scheduled durng the week rangng from a very easy tree dentfcaton hke to a very strenuous hke of 15 mles over many 4000 footers wth a total elevaton gan of 5400 feet. All meals are ncluded. The day starts out wth a buffet breakfast, a table fully stocked for tral lunch preparaton, and contnues wth 4 pm tea and cookes, 5 pm socal hour (punch, cheese, crackers) and concludes wth an evenng meal wth your choce of meat, poultry, sea food, or vegetaran meals. Amentes nclude tenns court, 50 foot ndoor pool, hot tub, and ftness center. Weather permttng, you may want to enjoy a swm n Purty s own lake or explore the lake wth free use of ther kayaks and canoes. Evenng entertanment s provded daly. Regstraton s due by August 15th. Regstraton detals are not avalable at ths tme, but wll appear later on the AMC webste: and n Outdoors magazne. 2 - The Newsletter of the Connectcut Chapter - Appalachan Mountan Club Volume 35, Number 1, Sprng 2014 Edtors & Publshers: Darcy Wtham & Magge Grayson Please send future newsletter submssons and advertsng to: Edtor: The AMC In CT, 71 Noble Street, Stamford, CT or ctamcedtor@ct-amc.org Read onlne: Please send all address and e-mal correctons to: AMC, 5 Joy Street, Boston, MA or nformaton@outdoors.org Northwest Camp Perseds Meteor Shower Weekend August 8th-10th. The Northwest Camp Commttee wll host ts annual Perseds Meteor Shower Weekend. After a cookout and a presentaton or 2, we wll set out to the summt of Mount Rga where we wll set our stes on the mdnght sky. For more nformaton and to book your reservatons for ths and/or any other stay at NW Camp, vst: Dan Houde/Purty Sprng photo lbrary. HIKE LEADERS - Lke to be a Hke Leader? Contact Davd Roberts at: excursons@ct-amc.org. GET INVOLVED! - GET TRAINED! - GET OUT, GET GOING - FOR MORE INFORMATION - About outngs, meetngs, educaton, tranng, events and ths year s entertanment, revew lstngs n AMC Outdoors magazne and on the web at: WORK PARTY COORDINATOR - Trals Commttee. Do you ever wsh you could partcpate n every tral work party, but not have to touch those yucky, heavy tools? Jon the Trals Commttee as our Work Party Coordnator! The Work Party Coordnator works n concert wth the Overseer of Trals to schedule all our projects throughout the season. An mportant role t s to obtan a leader and a co-leader for each work party. Equally mportant s forwardng our dates for publcaton n the varous AMC calendars and web stes. Attendance at our monthly meetngs s not necessary, but s hghly recommended. Interested? Contact Trals Charman Dave Boone at trals@ct-amc.org. MEMBERS - Share your experences and spectacular photography! Send n your submssons and photos to: ctamcedtor@ct-amc.org. Please nclude your name, author and photo credts. August Camp 2014 ~ submtted by Paula Burton Hke n the shadows of majestc Mount Raner. In 2014, August Camp experences the ncredble beauty of Mount Raner Natonal Park. Marvel at spectacular scenery whle walkng among towerng hemlocks, relve the drama of Mt. St. Helens, and hke on the shoulder of one of the hghest peaks n the lower 48. Camp wll be set up n the small former lumberng town of Packwood adjacent to the park. After a day actvtes, relax around the nghtly campfre. Ths wll be the tme to lsten to ranger talks, hear reports from the day s hkes, learn about the next day s actvtes, and enjoy sngng and conversaton. The full-servce tent vllage for 64 campers each week offers home-cooked meals, daly hkes at all levels, nghtly campfres and wonderful camaradere. The desgnated arport s Seattle-Tacoma Internatonal, and the camp fleet of vans provdes transport between camp and SeaTac each Saturday. The Applcaton and Camper nformaton forms, as well as all the detals can found on the August Camp web ste at Plan your one or two week adventure now and be part of one of the AMC s oldest tradtons. Applcatons wll be accepted after January 1, Week 1: July 19th - July 26th Week 2: July 26th - August 2th Week 3: August 2th- August 9th Week 4: August 9th - August 16th Questons about August Camp? Contact DV Chapter member and August Camp leader Lenne Stenmetz at stenmetz.lenne@gmal.com or by phone at For more nformaton go to our web ste: FOR THE LATEST CT-AMC CHAPTER NEWS and & ACTIVITIES VISIT

3 AT Day 2013 All s Well That Ends Well ~ by Davd Roberts, FCG Co-char Only two days before AT Day 2013 was due to take place on Saturday, October 19th, organzers faced a plannng nghtmare. As part of the government shutdown most of the Connectcut secton of the Appalachan Tral was closed and there was no ndcaton of when t mght reopen. Much of the secton s on Natonal Park land and that was where many of the hkes planned for AT Day, as well as the rock clmbng sesson, were due to take place. Contngency plans had been prepared but fnally, on the Thursday mornng and only two days before the bg event, the Appalachan Tral was offcally reopened. AT Day 2103 went ahead as orgnally planned, and was a bg success. As t turned out, the Saturday of AT Day 2013 was a beautful fall day, crowds of people came out to hke, bke, clmb, work on trals, and enjoy the BBQ. AT Day once agan turned out to be the AMC Connectcut Chapter s best attended event of the year. Excursons Char, Davd Roberts sad, Everyone was very understandng n the run up to the event as we tred to work out what we could or could not do as a result of the shutdown. We always ntended to go ahead wth whatever we could, but t was a great relef when the AT was reopened and then when we had such a beautful day. As usual, a full program of hkes went ahead along the whole length of the Connectcut secton of the AT, and n Macedona State Park, the bke rde, mountaneerng, and tral work partes were well attended. And for the frst tme our Trals Commttee organzed a teach-n n the park pavlon on boundary mantenance. Trals Char Dave Boone sad, The Advanced Boundary Montorng Course taught by Appalachan Tral Conservancy staffer Allson Schederer was very well receved, and a frst for Connectcut. Not far away, north of the Macedona Brook tral crossng, a fantastc rock starcase was bult by a number of motvated volunteers. They defntely earned ther hotdogs and hamburgers that day! Over 120 people attended the Grand BBQ, ate almost everythng provded, and, as always, enjoyed the blazng fre. Bulls Brdge Efforts Recognzed by Communty ~ by Dave Boone, Trals Charman The Bulls Brdge area n South Kent features a hstorc covered brdge, peaceful forests, and beautful cascades and pools of the Housatonc Rver. A blue blazed access tral leads to the Appalachan Tral, whch contnues to follow the hgh bank of the rver, to the juncton where the Ten Mle Rver flows nto the Housatonc. These lovely features, whch attract hkers and local walkers, have, over the years, also appealed to an ncreasngly large non-hker populaton. Two years ago, the non-hker use exploded to the pont where the resource was n great danger of beng destroyed, by lterally hundreds of people swmmng, grllng, partyng, dancng, and ltterng ths beautful and fragle area. Tons of garbage was removed by Trals Commttee volunteers and AMC Rdgeunners. The stuaton had become crtcal, and the local resdents and Town leaders rghtfully demanded that somethng be done. The Trals Commttee was fortunate n recrutng local AMC members and other nterested neghbors and formed what has come to be referred to as the Bulls Brdge Task Force. These dedcated volunteers stood on staton speakng to vstors about the proper use of the area. They removed garbage and ltter. They kept a watchful eye out on the users. Oftentmes they were joned by Natonal Park Servce rangers from Roosevelt Hstorc Park n Hyde Park, New York. These efforts contnued throughout the 2013 season. Specal tranng was provded to the volunteers by NPS Rangers, AMC Rdgerunner staff, Appalachan Tral Conference staff, Connectcut State Polce and DEEP Conservaton Offcers, all wth the ntenton of provdng methods to communcate wth dffcult people, and usng the authorty of the resource to help users understand why the resource needs to be protected from abuse and overuse. Specal sgnage was made and presented n both Englsh and Spansh, lstng the use restrctons for the area. Frequent vsts by the Town of Kent Resdent 1. The Kent Lons present a check to Ray Bracone and Jm Lovelett, stalwart Bulls Brdge Task Force members. Kent Frst Selectman Bruce Adams s on rght. 2. NPS rangers at the tralhead 3. A summer day at Bulls Brdge and FOR THE LATEST CT-AMC CHAPTER NEWS & ACTIVITIES VISIT State Trooper, and the presence of DEEP offcers, further helped to regan control of the area. By the end of the season, efforts had been successful and the hordes of users dropped off as a result of the awareness that ths area s only for passve recreatonal uses. Volunteers had nvested hundreds of hours at the ste, the Bulls Brdge Task Force membershp had grown, and the efforts were recognzed by the Kent Lon s Club, whch nvted the Task Force members to a thank you dnner and donated $500 to contnue these efforts. The work of the Task Force members cannot be overstated, and we are grateful for ther dedcaton and commtment: Jm Malumphy, Ray Bracone and hs famly Catherne and Isabella, Bernadette Ellegard, Elzabeth Anderson, Jennfer Tonnesen, Jm Lovelett, Nora Edwards, Km Brophy, Ian Abrams, Stefanos Lvers, Lsa Luca, Phl LaBell, Joan Tegtmeyer, Jack Nelson, Rck Barto, and Henry Edmonds.

4 Are You Ready To Paddle? ~ by Barry Gorfan, Flatwater Char Ths s the tme of year to thnk about where you paddled last season and where you would lke to paddle ths year. Is your boat ready? Do you need new equpment? At least take stock of what you have and clean t up and get t ready to use. Ths wnter I plan to nstall some new parts on my canoe and get t to ft me better. A boat that fts properly s easer to control, whch means more fun. And I clean all of our boats wth 303 Protectant - a space age lqud Summer evenng paddle. that protects all hull materals from U-V degradaton. I also check all the deck lnes on our sea kayaks for tghtness, the hatch gaskets for a proper seal and make sure the skegs work wthout bndng. My PFD s a lttle frayed and worn, so I wll replace ths most mportant pece of equpment. I m also shoppng for a new VHF rado. I ve collected a few more gude books to dream over, and nstructonal books and vdeos to remnd me of lessons learned and others to aspre to. That s a cheesy segue to remnd everyone about our Fun Wth Kayaks! sklls days that wll happen n June and August. These are great places to brush up on old sklls and learn new ones. I ve been runnng these for qute a few years now and I always learn at least one new thng every tme. It s a great place to learn more about your own boat and yourself. If you want to partcpate n our sea kayak trps, here s where you can learn the wet ext n a fun, frendly envronment. Also, let us know what actvtes you would lke to partcpate n. Where would you lke to go, whch sklls would you lke to mprove, what trps would you lke to lead? We are lookng for more leaders to expand our program and we can use your help. You can contact Barry Gorfan, Flatwater/Sea Kayak char at: flatwater@ct-amc.org. Famly Actvtes ~ by Janet Answorth, Chapter Char Our two famly hke leaders contnue to offer at least one actvty per month most months durng three seasons. As always, we would lke to see more leaders offer famly-frendly actvtes. A shout out to Paul Thoma for leadng famly hkes at AT Day for the last several years. The new group permt for the South Central Regonal Water Authorty propertes n the Greater New Haven area offers many locatons for famly-frendly hkes. Thanks to Bea Holt for organzng that, as well as ptchng n for me when I could not lead my AT Day famly hke due to an AMC meetng out of state. AMC staff has approved Cub Scout Packs for jont famly actvtes, so long as the pack provdes a certfcate of nsurance, all boys are accompaned by parents and parents execute volunteer release agreements. Ths could be an excellent way to connect wth more young famles. If anyone s nterested n pursung ths, please contact me at char@amc-ct.org. I am stll lookng for someone to co-char ths commttee wth me. Ideally, a canddate would have schoolage chldren AMC Adventure Travel Trps ~ submtted by Susannah Hatch, AMC Volunteer Relatons Coordnator Adventure Travel has many exctng adventures lned up for 2014! Are you nterested n hkng Bg Bend, backpackng n Death Valley or maybe fly fshng n Montana? If nternatonal travel s more entcng, consder cyclng n Tuscany or trekkng n Peru. The adventures take our partcpants all over the globe n a dynamc and actve group settng. To learn more about the FOR THE LATEST CT-AMC CHAPTER NEWS and & ACTIVITIES VISIT The Show Must Go On! CT-AMC Annual Gatherng 2013 ~ Submtted by Dale Geslen CT-AMC outdoor enthusasts enjoyed a full day of actvtes on Saturday, November 9, 2013, at the Sheraton Hartford South Hotel n Rocky Hll. Havng to choose from 9 excellent workshops on a wde varety of topcs, aptly organzed by Jm Scheef and Peg Peterson, was the frst challenge of the day. Perusng commttee exhbts, a book sale organzed by Bruce Laroche and Barbara Beckerman, and submttng bds to Tm Lnehan for the slent aucton, was the next task on hand. Attendees were rewarded wth a tasty dnner followed by the busness meetng whch elected the 2014 Executve Commttee at the 92nd CT-AMC Annual Gatherng. The Annual Gatherng provded the perfect opportunty, as t does each year, for members and volunteers to get together not only to remnsce but plan future adventures. It was also a tme to recognze volunteers for ther servce and personal achevement. Past Char Dave Cullen presented Sue and Gerry Hardy wth the CT-AMC Lfetme Servce Award and Fona Ncholson and Tom Carruthers wth the CT-AMC Appe of the Year Award. Excursons Char Davd Roberts presented Mke Cunnngham wth the Connectcut 400 Award. Chapter Char Janet Answorth announced recpents of the Volunteer Stewardshp Awards whle Dave Boone, Trals Commttee Char recognzed tral volunteers. Erc Stones reported on the Teen Wlderness experences of the Chapter s Harry Duren/Greg Smons Scholarshp recpents. Specal guests attendng ths year s gatherng were Bruce Glabe, AMC s Vce Presdent of Operatons and Chef Fnancal Offcer who updated members wth Club news and Regonal Drector Sharon Foster who attended wth her husband Mke Jones. The day was capped wth a most entertanng presentaton, It s Not About the Hke presented by Nancy Sporborg and Pat Pper. The days events would not have been possble wthout the stalwart contrbutons of longtme Program Commttee members Lor Stethers, regstrar and Wlda Wyse, receptonst. Support from Al Puches, Treasurer, John Grasso, Secretary, Janet Answorth, Chapter Char, Dave Bellemare and Dale Geslen, Past Program Commttee Chars also contrbuted to makng ths year s event possble n the absence of a Program Commttee Char. The 2014 CT-AMC Executve Commttee was very pleased to appont Mchelle Baughman as Program Char at ther January meetng. The Program Commttee s actvely seekng new members to jon ts ranks. If you are nterested n volunteerng, please contact Mchelle at Program@ct-amc.org. Cascades trp group photo Mt. Adams n the background. Photo: Eduardo Garca AMC Adventure Travel program and vew our trp lstngs, vst:

5 Before you are a leader, success s all about growng yourself. When you become a leader, success s all about growng others. Jack Welch CT-AMC Leadershp Tranng School Ths class Includes both classroom tme and outdoor role-playng, coverng many aspects of beng a leader such as: Leadershp Styles Group Dynamcs Trp Plannng Map & Compass Leadershp Opportuntes Leader Lablty Screenng Trp Partcpants Crtcal Incdent Stress Debrefng Accdent Scene Management Leave No Trace Prncples 2 - One Day Leadershp Tranng Sessons: Saturday, Aprl 12th at Whte Memoral Conservaton n Ltchfeld, CT. Saturday June 7th at Sleepng Gant State Park n Hamden, CT. Cost s $15 members/$20 non-members. Includes nstructon, Outdoor Leader Handbook and reference materals. Regstraton - Two Day Leadershp Tranng School: November 15th-16th at Whte Memoral Conservaton Center on the shores of Bantam Lake n Ltchfeld, CT. Cost s $50 members/$75 for non-members. Includes nstructon, reference materals, lodgng and meals. Regstraton: SOLO Wlderness Frst Ad Tranng Two FULL days of nstructon on topcs ncludng: Patent assessment Shock Long-term patent care Soft tssue njures Envronmental emergences Fractures Splnt mprovsaton and preparedness Dslocatons Aprl 12th-13th at Whte Memoral Conservaton n Ltchfeld, CT. Cost s $135 members/$155 non-member. Includes nstructon, meals, and lodgng. Lmted Enrollment. Regstraton: ~ submtted by John Chrst, Educaton Co-char Mountan Leadershp School* AMC s Mountan Leadershp School offers a rgorous opportunty to learn about and practce wlderness leadershp. The program ncludes a four-day backpackng adventure where you wll dscover and develop your own leadershp style and learn new sklls and deas. You wll take turns leadng your group through the rugged mountans of NH n a seres of adventures and scenaros desgned to develop and test your leadershp sklls. In the process, you are lkely to develop lfe-long frendshps. Get all the detals at: *Chapter Scholarshps are avalable for Actve CT-AMC leaders Please e-mal: educaton@ct-amc.org for more nformaton. Adventure Travel Tranng Vst some of the most exctng places n the world as the leader of an AMC Adventure Travel Trp! Ths workshop provdes mportant tranng to people who have AMC actvty leadershp experence (no begnners, please) to transton from leadng weekend chapter actvtes to more complex and longer trps, domestcally and overseas. Prevous outdoor leadershp tranng s hghly desrable. AMC Adventure Travel Leadershp Tranng emphaszes plannng, cost estmatng, trp management, people sklls, and rsk management. You ll also learn procedures and gudelnes for researchng, proposng, and leadng Adventure Travel trps and have the chance to exchange deas, problems, and solutons wth some of the AMC s most sklled leaders. The tranng s small group sze assures abundant dscusson and access to nstructors. Two-Day Tranng Sesson: November 15th-16th at Whte Memoral Conservaton Center on the shores of Bantam Lake n Ltchfeld, CT. More Info: AT Day Try-A-Clmb Proves Fun for All ~ by Pete Gajdosk, Mountaneerng Co-char The Mountaneerng commttee tradtonally runs a Try-A-Clmb event as part of the annual AT Day actvtes as the AT convenently runs by St. John s Ledges n Kent. For those not famlar wth the Ledges they are a farly featureless slab (except for an occasonal vertcal crack) of grantc gness as opposed to our usual fare of well featured Connectcut traprock. Armed wth our bns of shoes, harnesses, and helmets we made our way up to the crag. We set up top ropes and wated for potental customers to arrve. Frst up was a father wth three chldren of varous ages who had some clmbng experence. They took to the rock quckly and worked ther way up to some pretty stff clmbs, as usual showng up some of us adults (somethng about strength to body weght rato). Another person had gym clmbed but had no outdoor experence so we helped out wth a bt of coachng on technque. The key to clmbng slab s frcton and t takes a bt of practce to get the hang of t, especally snce most clmbng gyms don t have practce slabs. We even managed to get n a few clmbs ourselves when we weren t busy belayng others. and As the day went on there was pretty steady traffc on the tral. As t was a beautful day to be out hkng we had to do our best to lure people away from the tral and onto the rock face. Some people were aware of the event whle others needed the full sales ptch. As barbecue tme neared, we broke down our ropes and made our way back down the tral satsfed both wth the clmbng we had done and the potental new clmbers/amc members we had helped ntate that day. So try our next Try-A-Clmb on June 7th as part of Natonal Trals Day or f you re ready to go all out our Begnner s Rock Clmbng classes on May 8th and 10th. Further detals wll be avalable on our onlne events calendar as the dates approach. FOR THE LATEST CT-AMC CHAPTER NEWS & ACTIVITIES VISIT - 5

6 Russ Walde Receves Amercan Trals Award Russ Walde AMC-CT Overseer of Camps and Shelters. Contnued from page 1... n the last year are a bunch of new people who brng many nterests and talents to the leadershp of our chapter. They are Vce Char Robert Guenther, At Large Member Beatrce Holt, Program Char Mchelle Baughman and Membershp Co-chars Russell Moore and Alson Terjek. Also, Mary Grant has taken over the leadershp of the Young Members Commttee wth the relocaton of Mark Lufkn, who took a job n upstate New York. I look forward to a full program year workng wth all of them. Ther partcpaton should allow us to offer even more outdoor actvtes, socal gatherngs and educatonal programs to our members and the publc. We can always use more people on our actvty and servce commttees. If you are nterested, please contact me at char@ct-amc.org. An mportant part of what we do at the chapter level s educaton. Our Educaton Commttee wll be offerng Wlderness Frst Ad (WFA) tranng at the Whte Memoral Conservaton Center n Ltchfeld Aprl 12th-13th. The commttee wll also offer three leader tranng sessons n the comng year. I asked our actvtes leaders to dentfy members of ther commttees who have done exceptonal work n the last year. Educaton Commttee Co-char John Crst noted that John Ivansn has led WFA tranng for four years. A wlderness EMT who leads whtewater trps, he has helped tran over 150 people n Wlderness Frst Ad, Advanced Wlderness Frst Ad, Wlderness Frst Responder and Wlderness Emergency Medcal Techncan. Andrew May, Co-char of the Conservaton Commttee, wrtes: Whle the work of conservaton s often a slow process to change ndvdual hearts and mnds, n servce of changng publc opnon and polcy, t s nsprng to work wth commtted people lke Russ Charest and Bob Andrews. Russ, on hs own volton, tme and expense, bult an energy conservaton savngs board. He shows ths at venues throughout Connectcut, promotng AMC and energy conservaton. Bob, for the past several years has expertly guded an Alternatve Sprng Break wth students from Eastern Connectcut State Unversty. The students have 6 - ~ by Dave Boone, Trals Charman Amercan Trals, a natonal tral advocacy organzaton, has recognzed Russ Walde of the CT-AMC Trals Commttee as the 2013 Tral Worker for Connectcut. The State Tral Worker Award recognzes an ndvdual that has demonstrated outstandng contrbutons and provded consstent support for tral plannng, development, and/or mantenance. It s ntended to recognze the commtment and efforts of a prvate or publc sector ndvdual workng for enhanced tral recreaton n ther local area/state. Russ s a dedcated and relable volunteer secton mantaner on the Appalachan Tral n Connectcut, and has been for more than a decade. In the past season alone, Russ has contrbuted 551 hours to tral mprovement efforts. Russ s a skllful and experenced mantaner, and s always ready to assst others on ther secton and also lead varous constructon projects. In the past year, Russ has taken on an addtonal poston wth the CT-AMC Trals Commttee as Overseer of Camps and Shelters, and n that role, has contnually worked to mprove and standardze our overnght stes along the AT. Related to ths, Russ has also become our sgnmaker, and has constructed varous sgns, etc., for our Commttee, as well as other unts of our chapter, such as Northwest Camp. He has desgned a number of molderng prves, and n the past seasons has retroftted many to mprove ther functonalty and accessblty. Followng recent dsastrous weather events whch have mpacted the Tral ncludng Hurrcanes Irene and Sandy, and wnter storm Alfred, t was not uncommon for Russ to be found wth hs chansaw clearng exceedngly numerous blowdowns several days a week. Russ s commtment and enthusasm, as well as hs techncal sklls, make hm a natural tral project leader. On behalf of the AMC Connectcut Chapter Trals Commttee, we are proud to congratulate Russ for ths recognton. bult brdges, tral shelters, cleared brush and learned about AMC s msson to promote the protecton, enjoyment and understandng of the mountans, forests, waters and trals of the Appalachan regon. I would lke to recognze Paul Thoma and Bea Holt for runnng famly hkes at AT Day n October. Nether s offcally a member of the Famly Actvtes Commttee, but both were wllng to make the event more famly frendly. Bea flled n for me when I had to attend an AMC meetng out of town, and Paul has led famly hkes at ths event for several years. One of several events of nterest comng up s AT Gve-A-Day, when volunteers jon the trals commttee to do mantenance on the Appalachan Tral. It s scheduled ths year for May 10th. Work partes wll gather at Housatonc Meadows State Park and return there for a socal after work s done. More nformaton wll be forthcomng. Another bg event s Natonal Trals Day. Ths s the frst weekend of June. Last year, Connectcut had the greatest number of events of any partcpatng state. CT-AMC volunteers were very much a part of the effort. Our leaders have receved notces about plannng events. I wll be leadng several n my hometown, whch s also celebratng ts 375th annversary and the dedcaton of the gateway to the New England Natonal Scenc Tral at Gulford s Chttenden Park. FOR THE LATEST CT-AMC CHAPTER NEWS and & ACTIVITIES VISIT Awards Presented at CT-AMC Annual Gatherng 2013 The Appe of the Year Award and the Lfetme Servce Award were presented at the Annual Gatherng on November 9th, The Appe of the Year Award s presented to a member for outstandng work over a tme frame of fve years or so. The Lfetme Servce Award s for those members who have been actve even longer, ten years or more. The Appe of the Year Award: Ths award was gven to a couple Tom Carruthers and Fona Ncholson. Both have been actve wth the Farfeld County Group for many years. Tom s currently Co-char of the group. They have led weekend and other trps ncludng hghly successful sk trps to Vermont. Fona has been ndspensable n behnd the scenes work on the Membershp and Excurson commttees Lfetme Servce Award: Ths was presented to another couple, Gerry and Sue Hardy. They are the authors of 50 Hkes n Connectcut. Gerry has also wrtten artcles for Appalacha and Internatonal Backpacker. Both have been Chapter Chars as well as servng on other chapter commttees. Sue has been a Vce Presdent of the club. Gerry was Char of the Major Excursons Commttee for several years. The par led hghly popular week-long trps to the Shenandoahs and to the Catsklls. Sue was hke leader well nto the 1990s. She also made presentatons at chapter gatherngs. On a personal note, I would lke to acknowledge the passng of G. Ernest Anderson, a retred member of the faculty of the Unversty of Massachusetts at Amherst. He was recognzed several years ago by our chapter as a 50-year AMC member. I got to know Erne through Boy Scouts n New Haven County and partcularly the East Shore, where we were both members of the commttees of Gulford Troop 471 and the Lghthouse Dstrct, Connectcut Yankee Councl. A Madson resdent n retrement, Erne contnued volunteerng wth the BSA untl he was physcally unable. He was also equally commtted to conservaton and outdoor recreaton. My condolences to the Anderson famly. ~ Janet Answorth, Chapter Char

7 New Book by CT-AMC Member How Nature s Power Improves Lves In the evolvng world of book publshng, t has never been easer for an asprng author to publsh a book. Bookstores won t want t, though, accordng to experts. But Connectcut author and AMC member Ron Lzz has succeeded n defyng conventonal wsdom wth hs new book Go Outsde and Come Back Better. Barnes and Noble stocks the book, whch Lzz calls nature s brochure, n 140 stores from coast to coast. Go Outsde s an nspratonal nature/travel essay woven through a landscape photography collecton. It features 160 color photos from parks n all 50 states, ncludng not only natonal parks but other federal lands plus state, muncpal, and Natve Amercan trbal parks. The book showcases the tremendous varety of scenery avalable n Amerca, ncludng coastlne, canyons, mountans, deserts, badlands, and waterfalls. Lzz, who just fnshed sgnng books at the thrteen Barnes and Noble bookstores n Connectcut, offers more nformaton and nspraton, ncludng vdeos, photos, and tps, at the book s companon webste: Chapter Volunteer Stewardshp Awards Janet Answorth Bob Andrew Doug Atwell Rck Barto Barbara Beckerman Davd Bellemere Don Bellemere Len Berton Terry Bludeau Dave Boone Judy Borrmann Dan Bowen Steve Bracak Catherne Bracone Isabella Bracone Ray Bracone Km Brophy Merre Buchsbaum Paula Burton Don Button Dck Cable Gary Carlson Joann Carlson Maryann Carr Barbara Carruthers Tom Carruthers Amy Cason Mke Ceruzz Wayne Chapman Russell Charest Cory Clark John Crst Dave Cronn Lorrane Cronson Crs DeGraaf Mary Ellen Delaney Bob Dcknson Dens Del Carmen D Onofro Jo-Ann Durdock Tom Ebersold Henry Edmonds Bernadette Ellegard Fnlay Ferguson Mary Ferguson Robert Forster Merr Fox Mary Frel Paul Gaborno Pete Gajdosk Steve Garstka Dale Geslen Barry Gorfan Mary Grant Susan Grant John Grasso Gene Grayson Magge Grayson Jm Grecn Maron Grllon Dorothy Grmm Bob Guenther Bob Hassett Carol Hassett Nancy Hatfeld Daryl Hawk Lesle Henebry Mark Henebry Ken Henneberry Joann Hewett John Hcks Marge Hcks Joy Hmmelfarb Bea Holt John Ivansn Dan Johnson Leo Kelly Crag Kennedy Mark Kley Don Klen Mary Ann Kouyoumjan Gn Kramer Don Kress Alex Kuchel Phl LaBell Carol Langley Jame Lee Tm Lnehan Jm Lptack Stefanos Lvers Lsa Luca Mark Lufkn Jeff Magee Nancy Mann Thomas Mann Bobby Mathoda Andrew May Bll McCarthy Tom McGrath Anna McLellan Jm McLellan Beverly Medln Sam Mehta Rck Merrtt Kathy Mller Jesse Morenz Davd Morrs Patrck Morrs Lsa Nabuls Jack Nelson Tom Nchols Fona Ncholson Bob Nckels Carolyn Olsen Rod Parlee Peg Peterson Jeff Phelon Robn Pleshaw Eleen Power Dave Pressler Al Puches Mark Pugls Barry Resnck Walt Rnehart Davd Roberts Dck Ruddock Chuck Sack Zellene Sandler Eleanor Sasso Mark Schappert Jm Scheef Ken Schmdt Ann Schoeler Norm Schoeler George Schott Davd Shoup Pete Sofman Keth Spaar Alan Sper Lor Stethers Erc Stones Ray Taksar Debbe Tedford Joan Tegtmeyer Paul Thoma Steve Troop John Tu Wayne Turs Patt Vaughn Vncent Vento Davd Waldburger Mchael Walde Russ Walde Shawn Walde Steve Walde Susan Wallen Chrs Ward Beth Whalen Denns Wgg Mke Wllams Phl Wlsey Karen Wnkler Wlda Wyse Darcy Wtham Martn Wttman Jennfer Wood Hesln Chrs Wu Ed Ytntsky Ron Zlotoff Kurt Zoner TRAILS AWARDS 12 Hours Rck Barto Catherne Bracone Isabella Bracone Ray Bracone Km Brophy Bernadette Ellegard Phl LaBell Stefanos Lvers Jm Lovelett Lsa Luca Anna McLellan Jm McLellan Patrck Morrs Jack Nelson Joan Tegtmeyer Mcheal Walde Shawn Walde Chp Ward Beth Whalen Bll Wheeler Chrs Wu 50 Hours Rch Barto Isabella Bracone Ray Bracone Phl LaBell Stefanos Lvers Jm Lovelett Lsa Luca Anna McLellan Alan Sper Steve Walde Chrs Wu 100 Hours Bob Andrew Ray Bracone Jm Lovelett John Mercer Steve Walde 250 Hours Ken Schmdt Mke Wllams 2000 Hours Jm Lptack AMC STEWARDSHIP AWARDS - ANNUAL Pychowska Award (96 Hours Trals Stewardshp) Dave Boone Ray Bracone Walt Danels Jm Lovelett Walt Rnehart Hart Award (224 Hours Trals Stewardshp) Henry Edmonds Jm Lptack Russ Walde and FOR THE LATEST CT-AMC CHAPTER NEWS & ACTIVITIES VISIT - 7

8 The Hke ~ by Sopha Grswold My legs were lttle twgs. They were on the verge of snappng under the pressure. I d gve anythng to be back sttng on the couch, flppng through the channels on the TV. Rght now, the only thng I was watchng was my knees shakng. At the tme, f there was some way to just gve up and go home, I d do t. The focus on my mnd was food and sleep. My only though was I m gong to lay n bed, and eat pancakes. All summer long I d been lookng forward to t, but there was defntely a sde of me that was dreadng the trp ths year. I started takng on the hke four years ago when I was seven years old. Ths summer me, my dad, Uncle Peter, Uncle Tm, Mr. Garvn, a famly frend, and hs two daughters Al and Emly were gong. The hkes each year are usually pretty cool. You get to experence nature frst hand, enjoy the amazng vews, check out the anmal lfe at the mountantops, and hang out n the huts. The only thng I wasn t lookng forward to was Day Two of our trp ths year. I d heard from everyone else that had hked t before, that t was extremely trng. My dad and I covered multple peaks, watchng Galehead hut get smaller and smaller behnd us, untl t was nothng but a whte dot. At that pont, we were at the peak of Garfeld Mountan. All of the aches and pans that I had washed away, once I took a look at that vew. It just went on for mles. I couldn t take the smle off of my face. Me and my smle were paper and glove rght now. I couldn t beleve that the whte dot was where I came from, and that t was even possble to walk that far. Whle I soaked n my own glory, I remnded myself that t wasn t qute over yet. I asked my dad where Mt. Lafayette was, and he motoned to some mountan way out n the dstance. Suddenly, that glue ddn t seem as stcky as I thought. But we weren t fnshed wth Garfeld. Oh yeah, t was LUNCH TIME. After that, we hked for about an hour, untl we thought we saw Lafayette s peak. To get up, I d have to clmb on what looked lke bg long rocks gong dagonally up. It wasn t a path. There were no spots to put your foot, and was completely smooth. The steep rocks were separated, whch made me feel a lttle better, snce I could stop for a second before I had to scamper up the next rock. I attempted to take my frst step up the rock escalator, but then hestated. I could clearly pcture losng my grp and tumblng down the rocks. Trust your boots, my dad told me. So I dd. And he was rght! I just walked rght up! Later though, my stomach and head ached, my legs trembled, and my arms were noodles. At ths pont I really was past my lmt. You wouldn t beleve how much I so desperately wanted to qut and go to sleep. If there was a way to just bal rght then and there, there would be no queston n my mnd. I moved at slug speed, and that was really as fast as I could possbly go. I was so tred that I could have gone to bed rght then. Just when I thought I wasn t gong to make t though, there t was: Greenleaf Hut. The place where I would play outsde, lsten to ghost stores, play card games, watch the hut crew s skts, and most of all, eat. I was there. I made t alve. And mportantly, I would take home wth me a lesson: Never gve up and always beleve n yourself. Thanks To Your Donatons! Shown to the rght are several photos from a 2013 AMC Teenage Wlderness Adventure - a 7-day backpackng trp n the Whte Mountans. Two of the partcpants were nner-cty teens from Hartford s Boys and Grls Club who were able to attend after recevng scholarshps from the CT-AMC s Harry Duren / Gregory Smons Scholarshp Fund. They reported havng a fantastc tme and that the trp opened up a whole new set of experences for them. Thanks to CT-AMC members and members of the Smons famly for makng ths possble. Adventures lke ths are made possble through The Harry Duren and Gregory Smons Memoral Fund. Donatons to the Harry Duren and Greg Smons Memoral Fund provde scholarshps to send one or two Connectcut teenagers to AMC s Summer Wlderness Adventures n the Whte Mountans. Each of the teenagers who attend say that ther Summer Wlderness Adventure was a lfe-changng experence and s one whch helps to produce a future generaton of stewards of the outdoors. Please consder supportng ths fund; after all what better gft can we leave? Contrbutons can be sent to: Harry Duren / Greg Smons Fund, c/o Erc Stones, 72 Sunset Hll Road, Bethel CT FOR THE LATEST CT-AMC CHAPTER NEWS and & ACTIVITIES VISIT

9 Tulp Trees, Bonsa and a Memoral: A CT-AMC hke n Boston ~ submtted by Elane Pfeffer I wasn t sure how I would feel about hkng n Boston last sprng so soon after the marathon bombng. Our CT-AMC hke leader, Barry Resnck, had posted hs Emerald Necklace hke before that horrble attack. As evdence of hs Boston Strong atttude, he quckly notfed all the partcpants that the hke would not be cancelled. And so, on a gorgeous May day, our CT-AMC group headed to Boston to hke from Boston Common to Frankln Park by way of the connected parks that encrcle Boston, known as the Emerald Necklace. I begn at the end of our hke, as our group reached the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard Unversty. As we trudged the last few mles of the eght or so that we would hke that day, we clmbed slowly uphll, followng the entrance road to the Arboretum, whch s aptly named Arbor Way. The day had turned qute summerlke and by the afternoon, the more prepared among us had exchanged jackets and long pants for T-shrts and shorts. A bref stop at the Arboretum s vstor center provded us wth an nformatve map of the park s collectons and welcomed us wth ts cool nteror and thankfully, ts publc restrooms. The Arboretum s one of the last parks n the chan that forms the Emerald Necklace and after leavng the vstor center we followed a narrow, roughly paved road up yet another hll, to explore a small part of ths 738 acre museum of trees. We stopped for a very quck photo shoot n front of some fully bloomng llac bushes, allowng the zoomng and annoyed bees to reclam ownershp of the heavly scented, purple flowers. The Arboretum s famous Bonsa Gardens, enclosed and protected wthn a large outdoor pagoda, was also a requred stop. Several of the small, twsted trees were at least a hundred years old and after a day of hkng the streets and greenways of Boston, I realzed that these beautful old bonsa provded a symbolc end to our hke of Boston, a cty of strength and dgnty, smlar to the endurng bonsa. As we left the grounds of the Arboretum, a newly fallen branch from a tulp tree caught my eye, ts brght green, dstnctly tulp shaped leaves stll frmly attached to the branch. Pror to reachng the Arnold Arboretum, we had followed a pathway that hugs Jamaca Pond, n another of the Emerald Necklace s parks. Carefully avodng a few ntent runners, we followed the path as t curved around the east sde of the pond untl we reached the park s boathouse and an elevated wood gazebo. There, we took advantage of the park s well placed benches for a short break. I stll had enough energy and curosty to clmb the stars of the gazebo for a better vew of the pond. From my slghtly hgher vantage pont, I watched as some kayakers lazly paddled across the serene body of water located n ths busy suburban Jamaca Plan neghborhood of Boston. In Back Bay Fens we explored the maze of communty gardens whch were orgnally started as vctory gardens durng World War II and we stopped to vew a number of war memorals located wthn the park. Before reachng Back Bay Fens, we had dawdled along Commonwealth Avenue Mall, takng tme to admre the well recognzed stately brck townhouses and antque street lamps that lne the avenue, pausng often to read the statuary and memorals along the greenway. There s a new Women s Memoral acknowledgng the contrbutons made by Abgal Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phlls Wheatley to Boston and the country. Next, Barry surprsed us wth a quck sde tour past a sngle prvate parkng space located behnd Commonwealth Avenue that had made news when t sold for an astronomcal amount of money, before he carefully drected us across the Route 2 ntersecton, as we left Commonwealth Avenue Mall and headed towards Back Bay Fens. As we crossed over a brdge spannng the Muddy Rver, n the background, Fenway s Green Monster caught my attenton. We had arrved at Commonwealth Avenue Mall by way of The Publc Garden, whch was now abloom wth tall, straght-stemmed tulps, each color - pnk, red, yellow, planted n ts own wde formal bed. The Publc Garden was alve wth camera laden toursts, parents and nannes alke pushng strollers or watchng eager toddlers, and every possble varety of dog breed was represented at the end of a leash. The Swan Boats had just opened for the season and we were very tempted to accept an nvtaton to tour the Publc Garden Lagoon for the reasonable fee of $3.00! And then we stopped short as a lne of eght ducklngs followed ther mother across the park and lke the small chldren around us, we were enthralled by the sculpture whch portrays the duck famly from the 1941 chldren s book, Make Way for Ducklngs. We had arrved n Boston va the T and emerged from the underground Park Street Staton to gather at the Vstor Informaton Center on Boston Common where we made our tradtonal CT-AMC ntroductons and Barry took a confrmng head count. Before departng Boston Common, Barry drected our attenton to the gold-topped Massachusetts State House and ponted out the locaton of the AMC Headquarters on Joy Street n Beacon Hll. We enjoyed a few moments wth the huge bronze frogs set about the park s wadng pool. Then, leavng the Frog Pond behnd, we set off wth energy and enthusasm to dscover the other parks of the Emerald Necklace. Whch brngs me back to the Arnold Arboretum. As we descended from the Arboretum s heghts, a group decson was made to omt Frankln Park and ts challenge of the nnety-nne steps so that we would have tme to return to central Boston and pass through the marathon vctms memoral that had materalzed n Copley Square. And that s exactly what we dd. I m grateful that Barry chose not to cancel the hke last May - Boston Common, the Publc Garden, Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Back Bay Fens, The Rverway, Olmstead Park, Jamaca Pond, Arnold Arboretum, Frankln Park -- so Boston Strong. and FOR THE LATEST CT-AMC CHAPTER NEWS & ACTIVITIES VISIT - 9

10 CT-AMC Farfeld County Group ~ by Davd Roberts, FCG Co-char Tuesday, March 11th: FCG Speaker Dnner wll be presentng Don Hyman, photographer and reporter. He wll make an audo-vsual presentaton enttled Some Lke t Frozen An Antarctc Journey. The presentaton wll be at The Untaran Church, 10 Lyons Plan Road, Westport, CT. Wne and appetzers from 6:15 pm, dnner at 7 pm and presentaton at 8 pm. AMC members and non-members are welcome to attend. The cost s $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Partcpants are asked to brng along a dessert to share f they can. No reservatons. Pay at door only. For more nformaton and drectons go to www. ct-amc.org/farfeld or e-mal Eleanor Sasso at easasso7@cloud.com. Tuesday, Aprl 8th: FCG present Quebec - Off The Beaten Track. Thnk of Quebec, and we usually thnk of Montreal, Quebec Cty and, perhaps, Mont Tremblant. The rest of ths enormous provnce s lttle vsted by outsders. Hker, traveler and wrter Rob McWllams wll ntroduce the opportuntes and practcaltes for exploraton off the beaten track, focusng n partcular on the remote Gaspé Pennsula and, across the Sant Lawrence, the beautful regon of Charlevox. St Thomas Church, 95 Greenwood Avenue, Bethel, CT. Appetzers 6:30 pm; presentaton 7:30 pm. $6 members, $8 non-members. No reservatons, pay at door. For more nformaton and lstngs of upcomng FCG events, vst: Farfeld and/or e-mal: farfeldcty@ct-amc.org. On the AT: Lady s Slpper Cyprpedodeae, also known as lady slpper orchds. Late sprng and early summer see the return to the Tral of the extravagant blooms of the lady s slpper. The twstng slender upper petals frame the balloon-lke lower petal. Though the pnk lady s slpper s the most commonly seen along the Appalachan Tral, you may also encounter yellow, whte or even the pnk-and-whte varety known as showy. These orchds are alternately known n some areas, ncludng the Great Smokes, as the moccasn flower. Range: Georga to Mane. Bloom season: Late Aprl to July. Dutchman s Brtches Dcentra cucullara. Look at ths bloom upsde down to fnd the yellow-topped whte pantaloons whch gve dutchman s brtches ts name. Wth fern-lke folage ths plant reaches up to twelve nches tall wth several whte and yellow blossoms per stalk. Ths plant can only be pollnated by bumblebees, whch have a tongue long enough to reach the nectar deep n the end of the pantaloon legs. Range: Georga to Mane. Bloom season: Aprl to May. Clmbng Ice ~ by Jesse Morenz As I wrte ths artcle we are n the grps of a New England wnter. It s 19 degrees outsde and brllantly sunny perfect weather, n my opnon, for clmbng ce. When I tell most people that I enjoy venturng out nto the wnter landscape and clmbng cy clff sdes or frozen waterfalls I get back a look that seems to mply I am at best an adrenalne junky and at worst a lunatc. However, humans have been clmbng ce n one form or another for mllenna. Indeed mummes have been found hgh n the Alps where ascendng glacers would have been mandatory. The methods have changed, especally snce Yvon Chounard started the modern ce clmbng revoluton n 1978, but the prncple s the same. Use tools, ce axes and crampons today, to ascend a frozen edfce. Ice clmbng can be broadly categorzed nto water ce clmbng and alpne ce clmbng. Alpne ce s melted and refrozen snow and s relegated more to hgher peaks. Thus the vast majorty of clmbng n the North East U.S. s water ce clmbng, whch s to say frozen water. The wnters here, beng long and damp, conspre to freeze every waterfall and wet clff sde from the Catsklls n New York to the Whte Mountans n New Hampshre. If you have the wherewthal, fndng the ce s not that dffcult and the reward s great. Ice formatons can be ephemeral and hauntngly beautful. They take on shapes we clmbers refer to as pllar, curtans, chandelers, daggers, etc. The colors, too, are varable. Ice can be mlky whte or sky blue, t can be staned brown from oak leave tannns or yellow from mneral deposts n the underlyng rock. The beauty of these formatons s perhaps most strkng n a narrow canyon such as the Flume Gorge n Francona Notch New Hampshre or The Hell Hole n The Catsklls of New York. These locatons resemble frozen cathedrals wth ce pllars rsng one hundred feet or more on all sdes. Standng n such a place can be awe nsprng. It s places lke these that call me to clmb. To remove myself from the warmth of my house and to venture out to test the strength of my mnd and body clmbng the North East s crystal towers. If you wsh to try ce clmbng for yourself the Connectcut Mountaneerng The pcture s of the Hell Hole n the Catsklls of NY. chapter of the AMC offers an ntro to ce clmbng class every January FOR THE LATEST CT-AMC CHAPTER NEWS and & ACTIVITIES VISIT